Museum Selects Stephen Starr to Serve as Executive Caterer and to Create New Museum Cafes and Restaurant

PHILADELPHIA, PA.-The Philadelphia Museum of Art announced today that it has selected the Philadelphia-based STARR Restaurants Catering Group to be the exclusive caterer for Museum events and to redevelop and operate the Museums restaurant and cafes in the main building and Perelman Building.

Beginning August 1, 2010, STARR Restaurants Catering Group will introduce a new menu at the Museum café, in part inspired by the current major exhibition Late Renoir (through September 6, 2010). The Museum Restaurant will also close for several weeks to enable the transition and allow time for the development of an exciting new concept for dining. Plans for the Museum Restaurant will be unveiled in the months ahead.

STARR Restaurants Catering Group will succeed the nationally-recognized Restaurant Associates, headquartered in New York, which has operated the Museums restaurant, cafes, and catering operations since 1994 and is a premier provider of food services to many distinguished cultural institutions in this country and abroad. For more than 16 years, Restaurant Associates has been a wonderful partner to the Museum and provided exemplary service to our visitors, and for this we are deeply grateful, said Timothy Rub, the George D. Widener Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Nevertheless, as we look to the future and consider our potential to offer dining experiences that respond to the unique character of this institution, our remarkable collection and the diverse programs we offer, we decided that Stephen Starr would be an ideal partner. He has played a key role in Philadelphias culinary renaissance and is an experienced caterer with many admirers in the city and region.

STARR Restaurants was founded by Stephen Starr in 1995 and has since grown to include 13 restaurants in Philadelphia, as well as two restaurants in New York, two restaurants in Atlantic City and Steak 954 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. STARR Restaurants Catering Group also provides catering services for the Grounds for Sculpture, in Hamilton, N.J., the Barnes Foundation, in Lower Merion, and the Mann Center for Performing Arts, among others.

We are extremely excited about the partnership between STARR and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, says Stephen Starr, owner of STARR Restaurants Catering Group. As the Museum is an acclaimed cultural institution in the city, we are honored to be the new provider of food and beverage services for museum visitors, donors, corporate conventions, staff and friends. We look forward to providing a stellar STARR experience that is complimentary to the renowned exhibitions and amenities offered at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Founded in 1995 by Stephen Starr, Philadelphia-based Starr Restaurants include Buddakan, Morimoto, The Continental, Barclay Prime, Continental Mid-Town, El Vez, Jones, Alma de Cuba, Pod, Parc, Butcher and Singer, Pizzeria Stella, El Rey and seasonal food-stand SquareBurger in Philadelphia and Morimoto and Buddakan in New York City's Meatpacking District. Starr Restaurants expanded to Atlantic City, NJ, with Buddakan and Continental restaurants at the Pier Shops at Caesars in 2006 and to Fort Lauderdale, opening Steak 954 at the W Fort Lauderdale in 2009.

Stephen Starr has earned numerous awards and accolades, and was named Restaurateur of the Year by Bon Appétit magazine in 2005 and Zagat Survey New York City in 2007. Starr also received the TimeOut New York Readers Choice Award for Best New Out-of-Town Restaurateur in 2007.